CHARLOTTE — Charlotte-Mecklenburg cold case detectives arrested a man in a 33-year-old sexual assault case.
The suspect broke into a 79-year-old woman’s home on July 9, 1993, on Benjamin Street off South Tryon Street, while she was asleep, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said.
He got into her home by breaking a window, went into her bedroom, then sexually assaulted her, police said. Detectives said the assailant cut her phone lines.
The case went cold.
In 2018, a DNA profile was obtained from evidence. In 2025, a familial DNA match identified a relative connected to the suspect, police said. Detectives narrowed the search to Willie James Little, now 57, who they confirmed was the suspect.
CMPD arrested Little on April 16 and charged him with second-degree rape and first-degree burglary. He was taken to jail.
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